Exceedingly Mundane

I saw this fun meme posted over at Stacy‘s blog (here). It’s called a “Get to Know Your Friends” meme/quiz, but it seems pretty holiday oriented, so I was really excited about doing it. Thanks for letting me swipe it, Stacy!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, definitely.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa just sits them under the tree. He has so many kids to visit, all over the world, on just one night, that he doesn’t have time to wrap them all.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Well, funny you should ask! We had colored lights on our tree growing up, both of us. But when I got to be an adult and got my own tree, I wanted white lights. We still have white lights for our tree, and we hang white icicle lights outside, but both of us are thinking about getting colored lights for our inside tree. We saw some the other day we both liked, but we both hate to spend the money to replace the white ones (since we have so many!).

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, if Tim will shoot some down for me while he’s out hunting. I love mistletoe! He used to bring some home every year when we were first married, and I loved it. But, sadly, those romantic newlywed days are gone, so I haven’t gotten mistletoe in a long time. 🙁

5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime after Thanksgiving. I have to beg Tim to get up in the attic and start dragging everything down. He has to get up on the ladder and extension ladder and do all the outside lights (I’m scared of heights). He helps me put up the tree and the lights, and then I do all the rest of the decorating of the tree, put up my Snow Village and all of the other inside decorations.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Wow, that’s a toughie! I love turkey, because we only have it once or twice a year. Love cranberry sauce (just the canned kind!) and sweet potatoes, but probably my favorite would have to be my broccoli casserole. 🙂

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Sigh, here we go again, I wish I had memories from my childhood! I do remember one memorable Christmas, because I was very sick. I had to stay in bed and so my parents brought my presents in my bedroom. Daddy hauled in this big blue footlocker with a bow on it (I must have been a pre-teen), and I was so excited! I got something to put all my stuff in, and it LOCKED! And you know, I still have that footlocker in my attic, locked, with things from my life before I met Tim. 🙂

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? At school, probably in the first grade, but maybe in the second. Scott and Greg were talking and I didn’t believe them. So, after school, I asked my mom at home, expecting her to say they were Silly and of course there’s a Santa Claus. My mom sighed and said, yes, there’s no Santa, your father and I just give you the gifts. I was horribly, terribly and irrevocably disappointed. 😥

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? That would depend on where we are. We split our Christmas Eve and Day between Tim’s family and mine. It rotates year to year with custody of our niece and nephew. If we’re at Tim’s family on Christmas Eve, we open all of our presents then. If we’re at home or at my sister’s house, we don’t open on Christmas Eve, we open everything on Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? The word would be eclectic! I have ornaments that are very sentimental to me, and opening up my boxes each year and unwrapping them and hanging them on the tree is like opening a box of goodies over and over, remembering each one and the memories associated with it. I have ornaments from when I was growing up (my mom was going to throw them away, and I asked to have them), ornaments from when I first got out of college and had my own apartment and tree, ornaments that I have bought places (I love snowmen and have a lot of those!) and loved. But, the best ones, my favorite ones, are all of the ornaments we have collected while we’re on vacation and gone places. We try to buy an ornament to commemorate each year and vacation. I love all of those, they are my most favorite. 🙂

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! But then again, we only get snow once or twice a decade here, and it’s a big deal! I won’t drive in it though. 🙂

12. Can you ice skate? No way Jose. (Bonus, I can’t roller skate or roller blade either).

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No huge favorites stick out, but Tim and I got engaged at Christmas, so that’s probably my best gift/memory.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and remembering the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Fudge or my Reindeer Food I make

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We don’t have any traditions of our own. We spend the holidays on the road, going to see everyone else. One of the big downfalls of not being able to have children. I would have liked to have had kids and stayed at home and developed our own traditions and rituals over the years.

17. What tops your tree? An Angel. I’ve had her a long time and she’s looking a little worn, so I probably need to get a new one.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?I love We Three Kings because it’s in my range. But I love all holiday music, hymns and songs. I have to start playing it soon, I love it all 🙂

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yuck, unless they’re the chocolate ones! I buy them to hang on the tree though, because Tim loves them and that was a thing he grew up with.

P.S. I won’t tag anyone, but please feel free to play along at your blog, or answer any of the questions here in the comments. 🙂